Subligny, Marie-Thérèse Perdou de (1666–1736)
Subligny, Marie-Thérèse Perdou de (1666–1736)
French ballerina. Name variations: Marie-Therese Perdou de Subligny. Born in 1666; died in 1736; daughter of an actor-playwright who is reputed by some to have edited Letters of a Portuguese Nun (Mariana Alcoforado ), published in Paris in 1669.
Marie-Thérèse Perdou de Subligny grew up in the house of a learned father, surrounded by his literary friends. He did not, however, pass this knowledge on to his daughter, who would go to her grave never having learned to read or write. For 17 years, Mlle de Subligny was the lead ballerina at the Opéra de France. Though lauded for her modesty, beauty and figure, she was criticized, says Parmenia Migel , for not having "her knees and feet sufficiently turned out." Replaced by Françoise Prévost in 1705, Mlle de Subligny was the first French danseuse to have a career on both sides of the English Channel. In 1735, she emptied a chamber pot over the head of Francoeur, a violinist, and then brought suit against him. It was tossed out of court, however, because she could not sign the plea.
sources:
Migel, Parmenia. The Ballerinas: From the Court of Louis XIV to Pavlova. NY: Macmillan, 1972.